2017 Fat Bear Week
2017 Fat Bear Week Tournament October 4th to 9th is Fat Bear Week , and October 10th is Fat Bear Tuesday. Getting fat means winter survival for brown bears, and October is the month that Katmai’s bears are heaviest. This is your chance to weigh-in and choose which bear will tip the scales to become the 2017 Fat Bear Tuesday Champion. There’s no fat shaming here; we’re celebrating the sweet, salty survival of Katmai’s most successful bears. Over the next seven days, we’ll post dueling pictures of bears commonly seen on the bearcam. These photos will show the same bear in early summer and fall to illustrate the bears’ relative weight gain during the summer. How to Participate: This is a single elimination tournament to determine the fattest bearcam bear of 2017. For each set of two bears, vote with your "likes" for the bear you think is the fattest. Likes will be considered final at 6:00 pm AKDT on the day of the post. The most liked bear advances. Only one will be crowned the 2017 Fat Bear Tuesday Champion! 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK TOURNAMENT BRACKET KNP&P FB POST 2017.10.03.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK TOURNAMENT BRACKET.jpg Wednesday, October 4, 2017: Round 1 : 435 Holly 'vs '854 Divot ' Fat Bear Week is here, and it’s ladies first in round one. Stakes are high for these bodacious mother bears. They’re fattening up not just for their own survival, but also for that of their dependent cubs. They’ve sacrificed vital calories to nurse and feed those furry little chubsters, who’ve more than double their weight over the course of the season. Nevertheless, both have fattened up admirably. Only one of these fat mommas can advance to the next round. Who should it be? 435 Holly was declared the winner of round 1. 435 Holly is the winner of round one! Her next competitor will prove to be even more challenging. After all, he's named after a plane. 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 1 435 HOLLY vs 854 DIVOT KNP&P FB POST 2017.10.04 09.00.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 1 435 HOLLY 2017.07.02 vs 2017.09.21 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.04.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 1 854 DIVOT 2017.07.06 vs 2017.09.11 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.04.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 1 435 HOLLY vs 854 DIVOT ~ 435 HOLLY DECLARED THE WINNER.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 1 435 HOLLY vs 854 DIVOT ~ 435 HOLLY DECLARED THE WINNER BRACKET.jpg 'Round 2 : 128 Grazer 'vs '409 Beadnose ' Round 2 features warrior vs. the wise with two more beefy mother bears. 409 Beadnose is raising her 4th litter this year, outperforming 128 Grazer 4 to 1 in the reproduction department. Lucky for Grazer, this competition is about one thing, and one thing only: bulging bellies of lard. Which of these lovely lady’s lumps are lumpiest? Will Beadnose be Grazered out of the running, or will 409’s experience guide her to sweet, swollen victory? Only you can decide. 409 Beadnose was declared the winner of round 2 409 Beadnose wins in a landslide victory! The former champ is moving on to the next round, where she'll meet a veteran in bear obesity - 410. ' 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 2 128 GRAZER vs 409 BEADNOSE KNP&P FB POST 2017.10.04 12.00.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 2 128 GRAZER 2017.06.10 vs 2017.09.09 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.04.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 2 409 BEADNOSE 2017.07.19 vs 2017.09.16 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.04.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 2 128 GRAZER vs 409 BEADNOSE ~ 409 BEADNOSE DECLARED THE WINNER.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 2 128 GRAZER vs 409 BEADNOSE ~ 409 BEADNOSE DECLARED THE WINNER BRACKET.jpg ''' '''Thursday, October 5, 2017: Round 3 : 719 (435 Holly's 2014 biological offspring) vs 503 Cubadult (402's 2013 biological offspring / 435 Holly's 2014 adopted yearling) ' Look out, this competition just got personal. Round 3 is a family affair, with two siblings facing off in a blubbery battle of the ages. Subadult bears like these two might not put on the poundage like their older competitors, but they’ve stayed busy this summer cultivating vital, permanent mass for the future. The fat they gained this summer will help them survive the winter, as well as ascend from the bottom of the bear hierarchy. Life isn’t easy for these subadult bears, and neither is this competition. The winner of this round will go on to face one of the big boys - 32 Chunk. Which of these two is ready for a shot at #Chunkmania? 503 Cubadult was declared the winner of round 3 In the closest round yet, 503 Cubadult squeaks out a victory against his younger sibling. He'll have his paws full next round with 32 Chunk! 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 3 719 vs 503 CUBADULT KNP&P FB POST 2017.10.05 08.59.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 3 719 2017.07.02 vs 2017.09.13 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.05.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 3 503 CUBADULT 2017.07.13 vs 2017.09.03 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.05.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 3 719 vs 503 CUBADULT ~ 503 CUBADULT DECLARED THE WINNER.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 3 719 vs 503 CUBADULT ~ 503 CUBADULT DECLARED THE WINNER BRACKET.jpg 'Round 4 : 151 Walker 'vs '856 ''' Welcome to the big leagues, Walker. This wasn’t 856’s biggest year, but he’s certainly still a big fatty force to be reckoned with. While 856 was away from the falls for much of the season, 151 Walker was busy bulking up, with thick thunder thighs to prove it. Does this up-and-comer really have what it takes to unseat the legendary 856? Enormity is the name of the game, and without it, these bears won’t survive the harsh winter ahead. Both are bulging with good chances for survival, but who’s bulked up best? 151 Walker was declared the winner of round 4 This one was a no contest! 151 Walker stole the show, eliminating the legendary 856 with ease. How far will he go in Fat Bear Week? Check back this week to find out. 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 4 151 WALKER vs 856 KNP&P FB POST 2017.10.05 12.00.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 4 151 WALKER 2017.07.13 vs 2017.09.06 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.05.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 4 856 2017.07.21 vs 2017.09.25 KNP&P POSTED 2017.10.05.jpg 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 4 151 WALKER vs 856 ~ 151 WALKER DECLARED THE WINNER.JPG 2017 FAT BEAR WEEK ROUND 4 151 WALKER vs 856 ~ 151 WALKER DECLARED THE WINNER BRACKET.jpg '''Friday, October 6, 2017: Round 5 : 747 ' vs '435 Holly :' It’s no wonder 747 got a first round bye - this bacon-wrapped blimp looks to have eaten his last competitor. That’s not to say the former finalist, 435 Holly, won’t go down without a fight. She narrowly lost to 480 Otis in last year’s competition. This year, though, she’s got two chubby cubbies to look out for. No doubt, the single momma has earned her spot in this competition, but does she really have the heftiness to claim victory over 747? He’s one of the largest, most dominant bears at Brooks Falls - is he also the fattest? 747 was declared the winner of round 5 'Round 6 : 410 'vs '409 Beadnose : How do you transform your body into nothing but booty? Just ask one of these luscious lady bears. If they could answer, they’d tell you the secret is in the art of the summer nap. When these strapping sows aren’t stuffing their face with salmon, they’re beached in a belly hole nearby. Far from lazy, these two butterballs have serious survival skills. Energy conservation has earned these big girls excellent chances for survival this winter. Now they need your votes to survive to the next round of Fat Bear Week. Who will you choose? 410 was declared the winner of round 6 Saturday, October 7, 2017: Round 7 : 480 Otis 'vs '151 Walker : 'Round 8 : 32 Chunk ' vs '503 Cubadult : '